


A Little Magic

by Greeneyesblue



Category: Criminal Minds, NCIS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:36:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greeneyesblue/pseuds/Greeneyesblue
Summary: Spencer's afternoon is interrupted in the most unexpected way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My response to The Big Short prompt "Dr. Spencer Reid."

Spencer breathed in the warm spring air that smelled faintly of damp earth and floral notes. It was a beautiful spring day, and he had come down to the National Mall on a rare afternoon off to enjoy the cherry blossoms before the crowds came for the festival the next week. He’d just settled on a bench near the Jefferson Memorial and opened the book he’d brought, when a young girl came running down the path in front of him.

Spencer couldn’t help but stop reading and look up. He noticed there didn’t seem to be any doting parents immediately present. Working in law enforcement for so many years had ingrained in him an awareness that he figured would be with him the rest of his life. The girl looked quite young. Merely two or three years old. She had stopped to kneel under a tree next to the bench to pick up a few of the pale petals that had fallen from the blossoms above, humming tunelessly.

“Excuse me.” Spencer tried to get her attention.

She looked over at him, but didn’t say anything. Spencer tried again.

“Are you here with anyone?”

Now she looked leery of him, and he figured a parent had drilled into her a caution toward strangers at some point. No one had come for her yet though, and Spencer wanted to find out her situation.

“Hello, my name is Spencer. What’s yours?”

Still no response.

He stood slowly and took the few steps that brought him within a couple feet of her. She stood as if to run, but he crouched to appear less intimidating and tried again.

“Would you like me to show you a magic trick?” He pulled a quarter from his pocket. “I can make this quarter disappear. Would you like to see?”

The girl nodded her head hesitantly, her auburn curls bouncing slightly.

“Watch carefully,” Spencer said as he passed the coin between his hands with a flourish and then revealed them both to be empty. She laughed in delighted astonishment at the simple trick.

“If I tell you where the quarter is, will you tell me your name?”

The girl nodded again.

Spencer smiled. “Check your pockets.”

He had slipped the quarter into the pocket of her dress during the distraction. She gasped when she felt the coin there, and brought it out reverently.

“You found it! Very good. Now, what is your name?”

She looked like she was about to respond, but then clapped a hand over her mouth as if she remembered she wasn’t supposed to give that information to strangers. Spencer realized this child was quite smart for her age, and decided to try a different approach. He pulled his badge out of his pocket to show her.

“My name is Spencer Reid, and I’m an FBI agent. That’s kind of like a police officer.”

The girl’s eyes grew big, but she nodded in understanding.

Spencer continued. “I’m only asking your name because I don’t see anyone here watching you, and I’m worried that you may have gotten separated from your mom or dad. I just want to help you, and make sure you’re safe.”

Those big eyes grew teary as the girl seemingly realized she was alone and began to look around, presumably for her caretaker. Spencer hoped he was doing the right thing to help, because he hated the look of fear that now was evident on her face. He still didn’t feel very comfortable with handling the emotional range of small children, though he was now supposedly an experienced godfather.

He heard an unintelligible shout in the distance, and relief swept over him as he realized it was most likely the frantic parent looking for this little girl. Spencer stood and turned to see a man jogging down the path toward them. He saw the moment the man recognized the girl and came to a stop to kneel before her with his arms out. She rushed forward into his arms with a cry, and immediately began sobbing.

“Tali! It’s okay, baby. I got you.”

Now that Spencer had a few moments to take in the scene, he recognized the man.

“Agent Dinozzo?” Spencer asked tentatively.

A confused expression greeted him at first, but it morphed into a smile as recognition hit.

“Doctor Reid!” Dinozzo stood, keeping Tali on his hip as she continued to sniffle into his shoulder. “What are you doing here? Wait, scratch that. I’m obviously the crazed parent running after their wayward child in this scenario. I’m so glad you were here!”

Spencer laughed at the man’s obviously flustered state. They’d met when he’d presented at a law enforcement conference a couple years ago. Tony had come up to him after his talk, and they’d had an interesting conversation about criminal pathology, which had ended with some flirting and the offer to get a drink that evening. Unfortunately, Tony had been called back to a case before they got that far.

“I’m glad I was here too, although I hadn’t made much progress in learning her name or where her parents were by the time you showed up,” Spencer replied.

“Parent. Just me. Sort of a new-ish situation. I had no idea she could be so fast. I’m glad she’s at least absorbed my ‘don’t talk to strange men lecture’ even if she hasn’t learned the ‘don’t leave daddy’s sight’ lesson yet.”

Spencer chuckled again. Tony sat down on the bench, and whispered lowly to Tali for a moment. She raised her tear-streaked face toward Spencer.

“Thank you Mr. Spencer for helping me. And the quarter.”

“Quarter?” Tony questioned.

“I was trying to lure her into revealing information with simple magic tricks. In retrospect that sounds a bit creepy.” Spencer blushed and stuck his hands in his pockets. “You can certainly keep the quarter, Tali.”

She sat up enough to put the quarter that had been clenched in her small fist the entire time, back into her dress pocket. All her energy seemed to leave her then, and she slumped back against Tony’s shoulder. Spencer took the opportunity to gather his book from where he had left it lying on the bench and sit down at the other end.

“I can’t thank you enough, Dr. Reid. Really. Some days I feel like I’m handling this pretty well, and then something like this happens and I question if I’m even half qualified to keep up with her.”

“I thought we agreed to first names last time we saw each other, Tony. You did offer to buy me a drink. I’d ask if we could try again now, but I get the sense your life has some new adorable complications.” Spencer smiled, and was proud of himself for being so forthright.

Tony snorted. “Complications is an understatement. Not that I’ve regretted being a father for one moment, but it’s been crazy. Like soap opera secret baby reveal levels of crazy. Super secret agent partner stealing my donated sperm levels of crazy. Quitting my job and going days without adult conversation levels of crazy. But I love her. More than I ever thought it was possible to love another person.”

Tony turned to place a gentle kiss on Tali’s curls. She blinked slowly, the excitement finally wearing off leaving her tired from her adventure. Spencer figured it wouldn’t be long until she was asleep.

“Huh, it sounds like we have a lot to catch up on. We better plan for dinner too, so we have enough time.” Spencer was surprising himself in his assertiveness, but figured it was about time he went after something he wanted just for himself.

“Well, Doctor Very Special Agent Spencer Reid, you are a persistent one. Sure you want to get involved with all this?” Tony’s tone was light, but Spencer could sense an air of vulnerability about the man. It only made him want to find out more about what gave this gorgeous intelligent man cause to be unsure of himself.

“For the first time in a long time, I think I do.” Spencer looked away for a moment, but turned back with a smile. “Besides, I’ve already won Tali over with my disappearing coin trick. I’m sure I can win you over too.”


End file.
